23 Things To Do Before a Storm

This area is bucolic, and with that beauty, comes fallen trees and downed power lines after some storms. Regardless, if there is a forecast for a severe thunderstorm, ice storm, snow storm, or hurricane, there are a few things you can do to get prepared for the aftermath.

Run your dishwasher

Wash and dry your clothes

Fill bathtubs with water if you have a septic tank

Fill up your car and gas can

Fill propane tank for barbecue grill

Purchase briquets for charcoal grill

Turn freezer and fridge down to lower settings

Make extra ice, remove it ALL from bin and store in zipper bags so it won’t melt and leak out of freezer. The more ice bags you have the longer you can keep items fresh – up to 3-4 days (or freeze water in 10 or more plastic containers)

Turn hot water heater up to highest setting – good for a few days of hot/warm showers

Turn off wifi and Bluetooth on mobile devices, lower brightness of display and turn off Auto-Brightness, turn off Push for Fetch New Data, and turn off notifications (turn on Low Power Mode with iOS9) to extend battery life

Have a selection of books, magazines, puzzles, toys, board games, playing cards handy

Purchase and fill a gas-operated power generator and have a long, heavy-duty extension cord nearby